Securing Digital Rights for Communities (Game Theory and Governance of Scalable Blockchains for Use in Digital Network States)
Chapter 9 Why Free Open Source Software (FOSS) Is Needed for Security
If its Free and Open Source Software, eradicating it is like playing "Whac-a-mole"
Introduction
As decentralised ecosystems grow in scope especially those aiming to preserve individual freedoms, resist censorship, and protect digital human rights free and open source software (FOSS) proves indispensable. When projects rely on proprietary code, they introduce single points of failure and compromise transparency, directly weakening collective security. Below, we delve into why FOSS is central to reliable blockchain governance and how it upholds the deeper principles of decentralisation and self-sovereignty.
9.1. Ensuring Transparency and Trust
Visible Codebase
- Enhanced Accountability: Making the full codebase public forces developers to maintain high standards. It becomes infinitely harder to hide malicious backdoors or unauthorized “special privileges.”
- Community Verification: Users are no longer forced to trust the word of a core developer or a single entity. Instead, they can rely on the global community of developers, researchers, and even curious laypeople to confirm the absence of hidden flaws.
Verification Instead of Blind Faith
- “Many Eyes” Principle: Open source code benefits from a wide pool of auditors. From security professionals to part-time hobbyists, more people scrutinizing the code leads to quicker bug detection and fixes.
- Immutable Ledger, Transparent Software: A blockchain’s immutability rings hollow if the software itself is opaque. FOSS ensures that every aspect of a system designed to be “trustless” can genuinely be trusted.
Why This Matters
True decentralisation hinges on the absence of privileged actors. FOSS inherently levels the playing field: all participants can assess the rules, confirm they’re applied uniformly, and hold each other accountable.
9.2. Long-Term Sustainability and Fork Resilience
No Single Point of Failure
- Avoiding Lock-Ins: Closed-source projects become hostage to the company or individual controlling the code. If they abandon it or are forced offline, the project stalls or dies.
- Seamless Continuity: By contrast, open sourcing the code frees the community from sole reliance on a particular maintainer. If key developers leave or face pressure, others can immediately step in code in hand.
Forking and Evolution
- Necessity of Forks: Healthy blockchain ecosystems sometimes need to “fork” whether to thwart a hostile actor or adopt new beneficial novel features. With FOSS, forking the entire project is effortless when compared to doing this where the core code is held in the hands of a corporate entity whose intentions may not fully align with the community.
- Censorship Resistance: Because code is publicly replicated, targeting or “shutting down” one repository or developer does little. Another team can re-host the code, re-deploy the network, and ensure continued functionality.
(See chapter 13.4.2 for more information on forking away from an abusive whale stake)
- Community Ownership
- Decentralised Upgrades: When nobody owns the code’s rights, no single authority can demand licensing fees or deny others the ability to enhance or customize.
- Collective Responsibility: Everyone in the community has the autonomy to push improvements. This promotes a sense of stewardship where users and developers become co-owners, not passive consumers.
Why This Matters
Blockchains are designed for permanence and resilience. Proprietary code contradicts these aims by tying crucial operational elements to a central gatekeeper. FOSS on the other hand, cements the system’s self-sufficiency and the community's role in directing its own destiny via open source code maintenance, operation and development.
9.3. Mitigating Legal and Regulatory Risks
Reduced Central Targets
- Choke Points Removed: A proprietary codebase can be legally coerced leading to potential sabotage or closure. By distributing the code (and its rights) across the community, no single party can be easily bullied.
- Ecosystem Continuity: Because the code is “in the wild,” attempts to suppress the network by targeting individual developers or maintainers become largely futile.
No Patents or Licensing Traps
- Permissionless by Nature: A decentralised network thrives on open participation enforcing patents or restrictive licenses contradicts the collaborative ethos of blockchain technology.
- Neutral Infrastructure: A platform that withholds core software or demands fees cannot claim to be neutral or fully community-driven.
Why This Matters
Censorship resistance extends beyond the technical sphere; it also includes defence against legal or regulatory manoeuvrers. FOSS disperses liability and control, putting the community rather than a single entity in the driver’s seat.
9.4. Enhancing Community Innovation
Permissionless Contribution
- Global Developer Pool: When code is public, any skilled developer worldwide can contribute bug fixes, implement new features, or build complementary applications.
- Vibrant Dapp Ecosystem: lively innovation drives the creation of decentralised exchanges, games, marketplaces, social platforms, and more, all of which extend the blockchain’s value.
Faster Iteration
- Parallel Experimentation: Multiple developer teams can work on improvements simultaneously. Competing ideas drive healthy innovation.
- Agile Decision-Making: If the network’s stakeholders approve a change, it can merge swiftly. Stagnation is minimized, and the project remains competitive in the fast-evolving blockchain sector.
Why This Matters
Innovation and network effects often determine which blockchains endure. FOSS invites a global tapestry of creativity making the system more adaptable and faster to incorporate new technology or user demands.
9.5. Security Through Community Collaboration
Crowdsourced Security Audits
- Sophisticated Attack Vectors: Modern blockchains face advanced exploits, from consensus attacks to smart-contract vulnerabilities. An open codebase means thousands of potential auditors.
- Rapid Response: When a flaw is detected, public collaboration typically fixes it in hours or days, rather than waiting on a closed-source entity to “do the right thing” in private, behind the scenes.
Lower Attack Incentives
- Minimal Payoff: Compromising a closed-source repository can yield total control. In contrast, FOSS-based systems can be mirrored or restarted. The cost-to-benefit ratio for attackers worsens significantly.
- Redundant Architecture: Because everyone can host, study, and tweak the code, an attacker cannot stealthily modify it to gain lasting advantage.
Why This Matters
Security in decentralised systems hinges on distribution of data, governance, and development. FOSS intensifies this distribution: the software’s design fosters “anti-fragility,” becoming stronger as it endures challenges.
Conclusion
For blockchains to achieve true decentralisation where no single party can unilaterally alter the chain or silence users free and open source software is indispensable. It underpins:
- Transparency and Trust: No hidden code can undermine the community’s confidence in governance or operations.
- Community Resilience: Quick forks and replacements become possible if a lead developer leaves or is compromised.
- Legal Safeguards: Distributing code among many stakeholders thwarts attempts at legal or corporate take downs.
- Active Innovation: A worldwide developer community can rapidly iterate, preventing stagnation.
Ultimately, FOSS lifts a blockchain project from a vulnerable, centralised product to a collectively owned, public good. Coupled with robust governance mechanisms and globally distributed infrastructure, open source technology stands as a cornerstone of secure, scalable blockchains, empowering digital Network States to flourish without fear of censorship or capture.